Risky Moves? Not Anymore

In the opening minutes of his first game against Carolina after the Hurricanes had traded him away last season, Panthers defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh sneaked into the offensive end of the rink.

While the Hurricanes had accounted for the Panthers' forwards, Ozolinsh was alone when a long rebound came his way.

Carolina's defenders could only watch as Ozolinsh stepped into the puck and blasted a shot past a startled Arturs Irbe to score the lone Florida goal in a game that ended in a 1-1 tie.

If the rebound had ended up on the stick of a Carolina player instead of Ozolinsh's, the Hurricanes could have had a breakaway because Ozolinsh had abandoned his spot on the blue line to join the attack.

That kind of risky play is why Carolina dumped the high-priced Ozolinsh and why the Panthers snatched up the offensive-oriented defenseman and announced he would be a cornerstone of the team they were building.

"When I see an opening, I am going," Ozolinsh explained recently after being named to his seventh NHL All-Star team.

That is the mind-set that has made Ozolinsh one of the top scoring defenders in the league and a fan favorite, but one that has also given his coaches nightmares.

Ozolinsh is like an NFL cornerback with a penchant for going for the interception rather than making the sure tackle on a pass deep down the middle. An interception can change the game, a miss can give the other team a touchdown.

Ozolinsh, the Panthers' only representative in the All-Star Game that will be played Sunday at Office Depot Center, was in the middle of his second season with Carolina when the Hurricanes decided his forays into the offensive end were more of a liability than an attribute.

"We're in the second half of the season now, we're getting into real critical games and we have to be more responsible defensively," Carolina General Manager Jim Rutherford said when explaining the deal.

TAKING FLIGHT

The trade, which sent Bret Hedican and Kevyn Adams to the Hurricanes, reunited Ozolinsh with George Kingston, who was coach of the San Jose Sharks when Ozolinsh broke into the NHL. Kingston, now a Panthers assistant coach, is well aware of the risk Ozolinsh's style of play presents.

"It cost me probably 19 games to play Sandis in the last part of the game because he did screw up," Kingston said about his season behind the bench when the rookie Ozolinsh was on the ice. "But the fact is he is a marvelous athlete, and you don't want to smother that bird that can fly."

In addition to his speed with the puck, Ozolinsh has the size (6 feet 3, 215 pounds) needed to intimidate opponents' forwards.

In his second season, Ozolinsh started making better decisions and scored 64 points, second on the team, and played in his first All-Star Game and first playoff games.

Ozolinsh was traded to Colorado seven games into the 1995-96 season. That was the season the Avalanche met the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals, outscoring Florida 15-4 in a four-game sweep.

Colorado was in the playoffs in all five seasons Ozolinsh was on the team, as he was a key part of the power play. But Colorado was faced with a big payroll and traded Ozolinsh to Carolina after the 1999-2000 season. Ozolinsh, with a salary of $5 million, had 44 points for Carolina in his first season, and the Hurricanes went to the playoffs.

But Carolina was a much different team than Colorado. The Hurricanes had trouble scoring, so they played a tight-checking, defensive-oriented game. Getting behind in a game was deadly, and Carolina coach Paul Maurice began to view Ozolinsh as a time bomb.

Last season, despite Ozolinsh's salary, Maurice started giving him fewer and fewer minutes, figuring it was safer to have him on the bench than on the ice.

Ozolinsh was finally traded to the Panthers on Jan. 16 for the less flashy but less risky Hedican.

BALANCING ACT

Panthers coach Mike Keenan wasted no time in getting Ozolinsh back on the ice, and he has averaged nearly 30 minutes per game.

But while Ozolinsh had a coach who again appreciated his attack mentality, he was also on a team that would not be in the playoffs, something that had not happened since his rookie season.

"Last season was different. We were pretty much out of the playoffs when I got traded," Ozolinsh said. "This year it's been more interesting, more exciting. We're right in the middle of the playoff picture. A little more responsibility comes along with that and maybe a little more pressure, which I don't mind."

A lot of that pressure comes from being a defender who also is expected to score.

"First you're asked to perform on offense, get points, score on the power play. At the same time they don't want you to make any mistakes defensively," Ozolinsh said. "You really have to pick your spots when you can be creative and offensive."

"He puts up a lot of points on a team that is very inexperienced. He's not irresponsible," Keenan said about his All-Star. "I haven't had any issues with Sandis and his offensive play."

Ozolinsh is in his 11th NHL season and said he is not as reckless as he used to be.

"Now that I am older and have more experience, I pay more attention to game time, where we are in the period, and what the score is," he said.

Ozolinsh, 30, has settled in South Florida with his wife and two young sons.

Just like in Colorado, Ozolinsh's demeanor and aggressive playing style quickly made him a fan favorite. Those fans also helped him make his seventh All-Star team by stuffing the ballot box near the voting deadline.

Not old by NHL standards, Ozolinsh is a grizzled veteran compared to most of the players on the Panthers' roster. And as for the grit Carolina thought Ozolinsh was lacking, Panthers General Manager Rick Dudley has been pleasantly surprised.

"He's full of sandpaper. It's hard to keep him out of the lineup," Dudley said.